Why I Pray for Understanding

To emphasize the importance of discernment the preacher remarked that Christianity was a thinking religion. Dissatisfied, one woman quipped, “If they would just tell me what I need to do, I could do that.” (No thinking.)

A friend told me about his experience in the church of his youth. He had questions. He asked questions. He wanted understanding. He was shut down with answers like, “That’s just the way it is.”

A young lady visited several churches asking for help in understanding the Bible. Church folks kept telling her that she just needed to have faith.

Sometimes biblical teachings are clear and unmistakable. Yet, there are some teachings that are not so black and white. So, we need discernment.

You may remember Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. They were priests and had received instruction about offering incense to God. They decided to change God’s instruction and “offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.” (Leviticus 10:1) A person could reason that they did not break a command because what they did was not prohibited. And yet, they did something different than what they had been told to do. They should have applied discernment and reasoned that God’s specific instruction excluded their ‘strange’ incense mixture.

Jesus taught, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’” a teaching from the Law of Moses regarding the strict application of justice. And yet, Jesus taught that God’s people should learn to turn the other cheek, that is, absorb an injustice. He was not updating the Law or superseding the Law but communicating the need to think about the strict application of the Law. After all, would you want to be the one to carry out the consequences of putting out someone else’s eye if your eye was accidentally put out?! The simple point is that unquestioned obedience to the Law would have Israel full of people who were crippled, one-eyed, missing teeth, etc. However, after giving thought to the outcome of strict obedience, voluntary mercy and forgiveness would prove to be a better way.

In the Parable of the Talents two of the servants were given a sum of money. They put the money to use for their master. However, another servant hid his money and later returned it to the master. He was rebuked because he should have known what to do. He should have thought more clearly!

After telling several of the parables Jesus concluded by saying, “He who has ears, let him hear.” This stood in stark contrast to the cry of the Old Testament prophets. They warned God’s people of divine judgment because the people had eyes but did not see and had ears but did not hear. Jesus was calling for ears that were attentive to His message in the parables. The people were to listen and then ponder the parables. Some of the parables have no further explanation. It appears that Jesus believed that those parables could be understood both then and now by applying discernment. At other times His listeners voiced their lack of understanding and asked Jesus to explain. To those who asked, He explained!

“Ask, and it will be given to you” applies to discernment in Bible study. It also applies to the application of Scripture in our daily lives. God did not speak to mankind and have His word recorded to keep understanding hidden. He wants us to understand! In the first psalm David wrote that he meditated on the Law day and night. He craved understanding and received it.

Wisdom tells us to study and meditate on God’s word, to strive for understanding. 

Wisdom tells us to ask. 

Remember to pray for understanding.

Mark Stinnett

September 7, 2025

Yours for the Asking...

I remember the day, though I do not remember the date. The preacher quoted a verse from the book of James:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (1:5)

I remember thinking, “Someday I’ll be wise.”

I was only in the sixth grade, and I make no presumptuous evaluation of myself today. But I was not naïve in my thinking. After all, God openly made an offer and He even added that He would give wisdom without reproach, that is, without making fun of you for not having it.

Over the years I’ve heard folks treat this and other passages with the classic, “yeah, but…” logic. It is a lazy man’s way of scoffing at God’s word by explaining why it doesn’t really mean what it says. It is the voice of the doubter.

I really believe that God meant for us to ask for wisdom and I believe that He really meant that He would give it. I also recognize the context in which the statement was written. James was writing about life’s trials.

A trial could be temptation, adversity, or difficulty of any kind. It’s source might be known or unknown. However, God made an offer: ask for wisdom to get through the trial and He will give you wisdom. Just don’t doubt.

Only a fool would not ask God for help.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:99-100.

I have more insight than all my teachers,

For Your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged,

Because I have observed Your precepts.

Imagine knowing more than your teachers.

I remember a couple of college professors that seemed out of touch with reality, but I don’t think that is what the psalmist meant. And he was not saying that he knew more math than his math teacher or more economics than his economics teacher. The context is about life and living before God. And yet it was not just a religious/moral/Bible-knowledge statement.

By focusing on God’s word, the psalmist surpassed his teachers in life knowledge. He did so by reading God’s word. But notice that he also meditated on it. That means that he had to stop!

He stopped and thought. He thought about what he had read. He mulled it over in his mind. He reasoned out how to apply God’s word in his life. And that’s not all.

He gained understanding, the ability to discern. Discernment is the application of knowledge when making decisions. It is making evaluations and then choosing one thing over another. It is being able to choose good over bad, better over good, best over better. It is not just the mental capacity to make those choices, it includes the discipline to follow through by observing God’s precepts.

I am completely dumbfounded by my fellow Christians who insist on sifting through pages of human research and opinion to learn about themselves, family (marriage, parenting, extended-family), getting along with others (work, politics, church), how to be pleasing to God, how church growth works, etc. Why do so many trust their thinking to man and his research??

Jesus once said:

“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

--Luke 18:8

Mark Stinnett

December 31, 2023

'Caught Off Guard' Concerning God's Law

A guest preacher where my mother worships once emphasized that Christianity is a thinking religion. After the sermon a friend of my mom quipped something like, “I wish God could have just told us what to do so we wouldn’t have to do so much thinking.”

I want to show you a familiar passage of Scripture that illustrates God’s expectation for His people to engage in thought even when He has given simple and direct instruction. Jesus said:

You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

—Matthew 5:38-39

Jesus did not teach anything new. He simply applied thinking, or discernment, to the letter of the law. Without discernment a person would merely obey the letter of the law.

Let’s be more specific. Suppose a friend accidentally injured one of your eyes. According to the law, justice demands that you injure his eye in the same way your eye was injured. How would you carry out that kind of justice? Can you picture yourself actually looking into his eye and planning a way to injure him just as you had been injured!?

Blind and thoughtless obedience to the letter of the law would result in a nation of people bearing the scars of the eye-for-an-eye legislation. Yet, giving thought to the law one would conclude that it is not practical to demand justice in every case. Rather than injuring my friend to obtain justice, it would be better to show mercy, forego justice and endure the injury.

It is true that the eye-for-an-eye system of justice insures justice, but do we really want justice in every case? Let’s answer by turning the circumstances around. What if you were the one to accidentally injure someone else’s eye. What does justice demand for you!?

Let’s change the circumstances once again. Imagine that one of your children injured another one of your children. (If you are not a parent, let me assure you that a parent’s heart is heaviest when one of his/her children is hurting.) What would you like to see in your children? Would you like to see strict justice so that the injured child injures your other child? Do you really want to have two injured children?

When Jesus taught concerning the eye-for-an-eye legislation, He revealed the mind and heart of God who regards us as His children. God doesn’t want injured children, but children who show mercy and who love forgiveness. God wants His children to grow up to be like Him.

Are you in agreement with my mom’s friend? Would you prefer that God just tell you what to do? Or do you see the wisdom in developing discernment?

King David wrote: “O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97) Can you believe he loved law!? Astounding! What do you think David saw in the law? By meditating on the law and discerning God’s instruction, David saw the very heart of God.

Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

 —Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Discernment is about opening your mind and heart to God’s instruction so that it transforms your mind into the mind of God.

Mark Stinnett

October 3, 2021

'Caught Off Guard' Concerning Life

Kids...!

If you are at an age that you are no longer referred to as a kid, then you can look back with a sigh, “When we were kids….”

For most of us there are humorous stories of kidhood in which we tried to take life by the tail only to find out that life was a tiger. We tried things we should not have tried, thinking, “It won’t happen to me.” We trusted when we should not have and didn’t trust when we should have. We were sometimes gullible.

We thought we could conquer the world and were happy to share our brilliant ideas. Eventually, life intervened and disrupted our idealism.

As parents we want our kids to mature and to enter into adulthood prepared. We are responsible for giving them opportunities to learn and experience life. We also give sound advice in hopes that they will not have to experience some of the greater challenges of life.

I remember being told, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”; and, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” You undoubtedly grew up with similar truisms.

We recognize that these sayings are not necessarily absolute, but they are good advice. They were intended to help kids as they journey into adulthood. Parents don’t want their kids to be caught off guard in life.

God must have put that in us as a part of human nature. I say that because he too offered sound advice to his children so they would not be caught off guard in life.

I’m thinking of the book of Proverbs.

Solomon was given an extra measure of wisdom from God and his advice for living can be a better teacher than experience. It can be IF we listen to the advice and follow it. That wisdom will help us to avoid learning by the expensive and painful trial-and-error method, i.e. experience.

The Bible is full of teachings that help us navigate through life. For example, I really do not know what to think about all the things written about climate change. But I remember reading this from God’s divine word:

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 

—Genesis 8:22 (NASB95)

I am unable to use science to challenge whether there is a gene that makes a person homosexual. But I remember reading this in Scripture:

For their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

—Romans 1:26–27 (NASB 2020)

I’m not sure what we can do in our country about laws allowing same-sex marriage. But I remember reading this in the Bible:

A man shall leave his father and his mother; and be joined to his wife (woman).

—Genesis 2:24 & Matthew 19:5

The Apostle Peter wrote that God’s divine power has “granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness….” (2 Peter 1:3)

I think everything is rather inclusive.

The Bible is not just about afterlife stuff. That old book is still relevant for the questions and issues of our day. Are you listening?

Mark Stinnett

September 26, 2021

'Caught Off Guard' Concerning Judgment

Talking about the final judgment seems to make people anxious. Many Christians wonder if God is going to bring up…that event from their past that they wish they could forget. Non-believers may be anxious because they don’t know what might be said. They might be made to feel guilty for their lifestyle choices or some event in their past. Whatever the case, Judgment Day is the day when, “I’m only human” carries no weight; it cannot be used as an excuse.

When judgment is discussed in the context of the Bible, most people know that something will be said about eternity, heaven and hell. Eternity is a difficult concept. Getting a clear picture of heaven...elusive. And, what about hell? There seems to be many definitions and ideas about hell; the most common (I think) may be rooted in Dante Alighieri's Inferno, not the Bible.

Recognizing that science cannot be applied to divine judgment, eternity, heaven and hell, some people just make the assumption that we’ll all be like the dog Rover; when you’re dead, you’re dead all over. Yet, such a conclusion is based on empty space. It is a made-up conclusion that ignores God. It is not based on facts because there are no physical facts to enter into evidence that would weigh in on the question of eternity or heaven or hell.

So, we are left with two simple options:

• Make up our own conclusions, or
• Consider information from beyond our natural world, i.e. the revealed word of God.

Whether or not the biblical descriptions of heaven and hell are taken to be literal or figurative, it is clear: Heaven is equated with bliss while hell is equated with torment. One other thing; both are eternal. The Bible talks about the lake of fire (hell) as the second death (physical death being the first death). There is never such a thing as a third death where someone simply ceases to exist. So, just remember, eternal bliss or eternal torment!

In the Bible, divine judgment is about God’s discernment and His ultimate separation of good from evil, the godly from the ungodly, the righteous from the unrighteous. He is not arbitrary in His judgment. Rather His discernment is based on His divine character. God IS good and righteous and godly. But that’s not all. Goodness and righteousness and godliness are all characteristics of the One who lives. God will ultimately make a distinction between those who are spiritually alive and those who are spiritually dead.

In an often overlooked verse, John 3:18, Jesus said that those who do not believe in the Son of God will be judged (i.e. condemned). It sounds like those who do not love God with all their heart and listen to His word will be condemned.

Jesus gave us a picture of the final judgment in Matthew 25:31-46. It sounds like those who do not love their neighbor as themselves will suffer eternal punishment.

Is it really that surprising that those who do not truly embrace the two greatest commands will not enjoy eternal bliss?

The Apostle Paul preached a sermon at Athens in which he stated that God no longer overlooks people’s ignorance. He declared that people everywhere should change their minds (repent) concerning Jesus, because “He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness” through Jesus. (Acts 17:30-31)

Don’t be caught off guard; God’s judgment is real. 

Anything different from God’s revealed word is just made up from empty space.


Mark Stinnett

August 1, 2021

'Caught Off Guard' Concerning Hope

For most people a weekly or monthly paycheck is a good illustration of hope. Often used today as a synonym for wish, hope really means expectation when it appears in the Bible. A person puts in a day’s work and expects to be paid. Yet, most employers make arrangements for workers to be paid on a schedule. So, for example, a worker begins the week working without pay, yet with the hope of being paid at the end of the week. He does not wish for a paycheck; he expects one. His expectation is based on an arrangement, or promise, made by the boss.

In the Bible you might read about believers placing their hope in someone like God or Jesus.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;

For with the Lord there is lovingkindness,

And with Him is abundant redemption.

—Psalm 130:7 (NASB95)

The Psalmist encouraged his people to place their hope in God. He wanted them to depend on God, and with good reason. God is full of lovingkindness. Other translations have expressions like mercy, loyal love, gracious love, or steadfast love instead of lovingkindness. The Hebrew term is an expression of love that is tied to a covenant, and covenant indicates promise.

So, the Psalmist was reminding Israel that they were in a covenant relationship with the God of heaven. For that reason they could depend on Him, or, they could hope in Him. They could depend on the fact that He had made covenant promises to them and that He would keep His word. In Psalm 130 the promises were about Israel’s forgiveness for sin and her redemption. So, Israel could have the expectation that God would keep His covenant promises concerning His forgiveness of their sins and their redemption. Israel could truly hope in God.

Sometimes we read in scripture about a specific hope. The Apostle Paul used the phrases hope of your calling, hope of the gospel, hope of glory, and hope of salvation in the same way he used the phrase hope of eternal life.

Unfortunately, some believers are being caught off guard by voices in religious circles telling them not to worry with questions about eternity. Rather, they should focus on more pressing matters like feeding and clothing the world and serving others. While noble and relevant…

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

—John 3:16 (NASB95)

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

—Titus 3:5–7 (NASB95)

Based on these Scriptures, I must focus on eternal life because...

• Eternal life is real.
• Not everyone is guaranteed eternal life, only those who believe in Jesus.
• Eternal life is an inheritance.
• We are made heirs of this amazing promise by the mercy of God through Jesus Christ.

Don’t let anyone catch you off guard by telling you that eternal life is of lesser importance.

The best news is that if you are true Christian, then your hope IS eternal life.

Expect it because God has promised.

Mark Stinnett

July 25, 2021

'Caught Off Guard' Concerning What?

In my two previous blog entries I suggested that we must be alert so that we are not caught off guard, but caught off guard concerning what???

The watchman described in Ezekiel 33 was given the task of watching for a physical enemy, such as an attacking army. When Jesus warned his listeners of a coming judgment (Matthew 24), He was specifically referring to the destruction of Jerusalem. In the next chapter He warned about another judgment, the final judgment.

The prophets of God were watchmen; so also were John the Baptist and the apostles of Jesus. Preachers today are watchmen, that is, if they are warning people according to God’s word.

The watchman issues a warning, and one word generally sums up the warning: “Repent!” The literal meaning of the Greek term for repent was to change one’s thinking or perception. So, repentance was the banner cry of the watchman: “Change the way you are thinking!”

For the watchman of Ezekiel 33, repentance meant changing from peacetime thinking to a mind prepared for war or invasion. The warning of Jesus in Matthew 24 was to alert the minds of the people to watch for signs of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem. The warning of Jesus in Matthew 25 was to alert the minds of His followers to prepare for the final judgment of God. So, the watchword is repent; change the way you are currently thinking so that you will be prepared.

Vital elements in a warning system are alertness and soberness. By alertness, I am referring to the idea of being wide awake. By soberness, I am referring to the discernment necessary to make good judgments. An alert and sober watchman knows the difference between a fluttering leaf or passing shadow and the real enemy.

Jesus reminded the people of His day that they were able to discern the changing of the seasons by looking at the fig tree. Jesus told them that they should, in the same way, be able to observe changes in their cultural environment and identify whether or not it was time to take action.

God wants us to use our capacity for observation and thinking to discern changes in our world and prepare for appropriate action.

So, note that a number of our laws have been enacted in the past that allow behaviors that are opposed to God. Laws governing alcohol use allow for drunkenness. Free speech is the banner waved to allow for all kinds of sexual sin. In recent years laws were passed allowing gay marriage. However, all of these had one thing in common: personal liberty. Our society allows behaviors that were previously accepted as immoral. So, preachers could preach against sin and show how society’s allowances differed from God’s expectation.

Things are different now with regard to homosexuality and its associated movement. Some of our nation’s new laws not only allow behaviors previously considered immoral, but the laws also protect and promote behaviors regarded as sinful in the Bible. In addition, those who oppose the sinful behaviors are considered guilty of hate speech. It is no longer enough for a Christian to oppose and simply not engage in behavior believed to be sinful; Christians are being pressured to accept the sinful behaviors as good, or else suffer consequences.

The Jewish officials used the Law of Moses against Jesus when they brought Him to trial and crucified Him. Remarkably, they joined hands with the Romans to legally eliminate Jesus. Saul’s persecution of Christianity was legal; he had official papers.

Wake up! Our laws are being changed to give people leverage to legally attack Christians. At the same time Christians are being brainwashed to accept sin as good and to view holiness as evil.

Adjust your thinking! 

This is not a call to arms, 

   but a call to prayer and holiness. 

Open your Bible. 

Be Ready!

Mark Stinnett

July 18, 2021

How Do You Keep from Being Caught Off Guard?

A few years ago, while driving along a curvy and hilly highway, I came over a hill and saw an older lady walking down the middle of the road and as I slowed, she fell and could not get up. A car in the oncoming lane quickly stopped to help. Seeing the dangerous situation, I immediately positioned myself at the top of the nearby hill to wave down traffic so they would slow down before anyone was hurt. (Everything turned out OK.)

I became a temporary watchman.

A watchman’s primary task is to warn. He provides information so others can plan appropriately. I waved my arms wildly so drivers would begin to slow down long before the danger. Weathermen are watchmen who provide weather forecasts that allow listeners to prepare for inclement or severe conditions.

Watchtowers have been built into walls to facilitate those who watched for enemies. In more recent times fire towers and lighthouses were used to detect danger and issue warnings.

In general, people want to know of danger ahead of time in order to prepare. We don’t want to be caught off guard!

Yet, warnings are sometimes inconvenient, even disruptive. People are evacuated at the smell of natural gas or because of a bomb threat. Some people become frustrated or angry because of the inconvenience. Sometimes people refuse to believe a warning.

Recall the tale of the boy who cried, “Wolf.” Again and again the boy called out a warning when there was no wolf. Then, when a dangerous wolf came, no one believed his warning. I sometimes wonder if that describes our nation when it comes to the warnings found in Scripture. Preachers warn, but nothing really bad happens. So, people stop listening.

Christians can be lulled into a kind of sleep when life is going well. We experience no real threat of personal danger. We live in times of abundance where good jobs are available. We have enough money to save and invest. We can enjoy leisure and entertainment...any day...every day.

Jesus was a watchman when He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24. He continued His warnings by blending them into a warning about the Second Coming and Final Judgment (chapter 25). The simple point is that when we know that God’s judgment is certain, but we do not know when it will come about, we must be alert; we must prepare.

Jesus told His listeners how to recognize the signs of the times. He told them that when they saw the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, those in Judea should literally run for their lives. Writing to a Gentile audience, Luke reported the same warning, but in terms that are easier for us (Gentiles) to understand:

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 

—Luke 21:20

After that Jesus told a parable saying that people are able to discern the changing of the seasons by watching a fig tree. His point was that there were signs of change regarding spiritual matters that they should also be able to discern.

The winds of change are blowing in the United States. Laws are being passed that portray evil as good and that portray good as evil. We have enjoyed many years of peace in the church.

So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

—1 Thessalonians 5:6

Wake up! Open your Bible! Let’s be ready!

Mark Stinnett

July 11, 2021

Will You Be Caught Off Guard?

Have you ever had an experience when you were caught off guard?

Reflect on that experience for a moment and think about the phrase caught off guard.

Why were you caught off guard?

There could be an array of reasons. You might have been distracted or tired. You might have had laser focus on something else. Or it might have been that things were going so well that you just weren’t watching.

Do you remember the fall of ancient Babylon? King Belshazzar and his nobles were caught off guard. It was a time of peace and they were partying. On that night the Medes and Persians marched right in and took over without a fight. Read about it in Daniel 5.

There have been attacks on Christianity all over the world going all the way back to the first century. In the U.S., however, we have not felt the same kinds of threats because we have freedom of religion! Yet, as good as that is, Christians must recognize that God never promised us peaceful surroundings and the respect of those around us.

We must not be fair-weather Christians, that is, faithful only when the circumstances are favorable. We must be spiritually alert at all times.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

—1 Peter 5:8–10 (ESV)

More than ever, we who are Christians need discernment. That is the ability to tell the difference between things. You know the humorous expression: “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck….” The idea is that even if the duck is disguised, a person can still discern that it is a duck by the way it walks and talks.

Regarding spiritual matters Jesus said:

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.

—Matthew 7:15-16 (NLT)

He later said to His disciples:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

—Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)

In the U.S. we have enjoyed many years of peace religiously. What have you done in this time of religious peace and rest? Have you been preparing yourself for the day when things might change? Have you been watchful? Or will you be caught off guard when religious peace and rest are taken away?

Are you able to discern between good and evil? Right and wrong? Can you distinguish between God’s standard of equity and love and all the jargon of our day masked with words like equity and tolerance? Are you equipped to identify the false prophets of our day, those who use smooth and religious-sounding words but do not speak the truth of God’s word?

Will you take the time to read Ezekiel 33:1-6?

After reading God’s word, I am watching the changes in our society. I am sounding an alarm!

Mark Stinnett

July 4, 2021

How Do I Begin Wisdom?

I don’t know how the title question strikes your mind, but I wonder how important a question it is to Christians today. For many, life’s biggest concern is not about making wise decisions, but survival; simply getting from today to tomorrow without making a mess of things. Others are trying to climb the ladder of success, reach for the stars, achieve goals or check something off their bucket list. Still others are mostly focused on self-indulgence; satisfying their urges for food, entertainment, sex, money, etc.

I would like to think that Christians are really interested in wisdom. I hope you are, but where do you start? First, let me ask:

• What is your definition of wisdom?
• What is the meaning of discernment?

Think of someone you would regard as wise. How did he/she become wise? Where did he/she begin? Where do you start to find or obtain or attain discernment?

The answers are not found by joining a secret society. They are not discovered atop a high mountain in a remote foreign country. They will not be found deep within a hidden cavern, in the depths or the sea, beyond the stars, or in your heart. Yet, the answers seem rather elusive. Can you accept God’s answer?

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
--Proverbs 9:10

We should not think that fear is a synonym with afraid. Yet, respect is far too weak to fully describe the fear of the Lord. Two other words are accurately descriptive: reverence and awe.

Fear (afraid) and respect are found within reverence and awe, but there is more. There is also the realization of the stark difference between deity and humanity. Reverence and awe demand recognition of the power, authority, dominion, honor, perfection, holiness, purity, kindness, and expansive love of deity.

At the "beginning of wisdom" a person must come to some level of knowledge and understanding of God. Knowledge is not the academic kind found in theology books; it is not a list of facts about God. Nor is knowledge to be confused with biblical doctrine. Facts, doctrine and theology are all fine, but true knowledge of God can only be obtained in a relationship with God.

We understand the importance of relationship in marriage. A man knows his wife; a wife knows her husband. Yet their knowledge of each other is not based on a list of facts, a well-organized resume or information gathered online. Their knowledge is based on their relationship and daily interaction with each other. It is no different with God.

Be careful! Read your Bible all you want but you will still lack true wisdom and understanding (discernment). You must not put your Bible aside, but you must come to know your Creator through a relationship that is based on making a proper response to his instruction.

Knowledge of the Holy One requires an intimate relationship with God in which you interact with Him by listening to His word, by the devoted practice of His instruction and by prayer.

If you are a Christian, you already know that you should value wisdom and understanding?
Do you?

You might want to begin on your knees in humble prayer; then rise to follow.

Mark Stinnett